D-Day display opens at Portsmouth International Port

On Wednesday 25th May, the D-Day Museum opened a new exhibit at Portsmouth International Port. The pop-up display has been installed on the first floor of the main terminal. The port sees thousands of passengers every year, many of whom sail to and from the Normandy coastline which saw the landings on D-Day. The displays include a female factory worker, two soldiers camping in the forests north of Portsmouth, and a series of panels telling the story of D-Day. As the museum is currently closed to the public while undergoing its transformation, the pop-up displays provide a means of telling the story of D-Day.

John Jenkins, a 97-year-old D-Day veteran visited the port to open the new displays. He landed on Sword beach, and is a regular volunteer for the museum, winning Portsmouth Together's Volunteer of the Year award in 2016. John was kind enough to spend some time talking to students from Solent Junior School, answering their questions and telling them about his experiences during the war, on D-Day, and afterwards. He proved extremely popular with the children, who excitedly announced that meeting John was one of their favourite parts of the morning - and asked if they could take him back to school! The children joined him for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, announcing the opening of the new display.

Prior to meeting John, the children had taken part in a session with Public Participation Officer Felicity Wood, where they learned about D-Day and the events surrounding it. This included a chance to try on uniforms similar to those worn by an Air Raid Warden, a messenger, and a member of the Women's Land Army.